Annual Waterford International Organ Festival
”Renaissance to avant-garde”
8-11 June 2023

The third annual Waterford International Organ Festival presents diverse, creative classical music concerts featuring the pipe organ, choral and instrumental forces. This year’s festival
will be extended to four evening concerts and a special children’s morning concert.

The festival 2023 will open with an evening of chamber music with Kilkenny-based organist
Malcolm Proud (chamber organ), Dublin-based Mexican curtal player Mariana Paras and
Cork-based Finnish baroque violinist Marja Gaynor. They will present a programme in
honour of the four hundredth anniversary of William Bryd’s death and will also include
baroque sonatas from around Europe for this colourful combination of instruments.

The second evening will bring virtuoso Swiss organist, Vincent Thévenaz to Waterford.
Thévenaz is professor of organ and improvisation at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva
and titular organist and carilloneur of Saint-Pierre Cathedral. Renowned for his dynamic and
eclectic programmes, Thévenaz will present the facsinating sound-world of avant-garde
composer György Ligeti, celebrating this composer’s centenary.

The weekend programme of events will begin with a children’s concert and workshop led by
Cathedral organist Simon Harden and an arrangement of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” by
Heinrich Grimm.
At the Saturday evening concert, we will welcome Sestina, a Belfast-based chamber choir
directed by Mark Chambers. Sestina is highly regarded for historically informed performance
and a freshness in their delivery of early music.

The final day of the festival will see Simon Harden in musical dialogue with leading Irish
Trumpeters Colm Bryne and Eamonn Nolan and a tour de force of “organ-plus” repertoire.

Programme Overview

All festival events take place at Christ Church Cathedral Waterford

Thursday 8th June

20:00 Opening Concert: “A Renaissance and Baroque feast”

A concert in celebration of 400 years since the death of William Byrd.

Chamber music concert with:
Malcolm Proud (chamber organ)
Mariana Paras (curtal (baroque bassoon)
Marja Gaynor (baroque violin)

Tickets:
General Admission – €15
Concession – €12
Children under 18 accompanied by parents go free.

Friday 9th June

20:00  “Pushing The Boundaries”

In celebration of the centenary of György Ligeti and his unique sound world

Solo organ recital with Vincent Thévenaz
(Professor of organ and improvisation at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Geneva and titular
organist and carilloneur of Saint-Pierre Cathedral)
An eclectic programme including avant-garde and improvisation

Tickets:

General Admission – €12
Concession – €10
Children under 18 accompanied by parents go free.

Saturday 10th June

11:00 Concert for Children: ‘Peter and the Wolf’

Arrangement for the organ of Prokofiev’s classic
Simon Harden (organ), with narration and artwork.

Entrance free, pre-registration required
Children must be accompanied by an adult

18:00 Choral Concert: ‘Songs of Sundrie Natures’

Celebrating some of the hidden gems by William Byrd                                                                      A choral concert with Sestina and Mark Chambers

Tickets:

General Admission – €20
Concession – €15
Children under 18 accompanied by parents go free

Sunday 11th June

18:00 Organ Concert: ‘The Trumpets Shall Sound’

 An upbeat final concert of the festival for 2 Trumpets and Organ

Colm Byrne (Trumpet – Royal Irish Academy of Music)                                                          Eamonn  Nolan (Trumpet – RTE Concert Orchestra)

Tickets:

General Admission – €15
Concession – €12
Children under 18 accompanied by parents go free